DON’T BE SO CLOTHES-MINDED

Why conscious clothing consumerism is more important than ever

// By Jenna Nel

The 21st century has seen massive growth in the textile industry. A mere century ago, clothes were produced out of necessity, on a scale that reflected their practical value. Fast forward to 2021, and the clothing industry has swollen to infamy as the second-largest polluter in the world, thanks to its immense scale and wastefulness.

We buy, consume, and discard clothes incessantly and according to the fickle whims of fashion, with no care for the environmental effects of large-scale carbon emissions.

As always, the good news is that

there are small steps you can take

to be part of the solution. Did you know, for example, that getting

just three months more wear out of each item of clothing could potentially lower your carbon, water

and waste footprint by 5 to 10%?

We chat to Hanger Consignments Founder Tracey Dewey about how she is contributing to conscious clothing consumerism in the face of exploding excess.

You’ve clearly found your own particular brand of sustainable living. Tell us a little bit about what you do?

We all have those items of clothing that remain untouched at the back of our closets. Whether you bought them in aspirational sizing or your taste in clothing has simply evolved since the purchase, it’s time to pass them onto someone who will wear them. Here at Hanger Consignments, we help facilitate this process. We take your preloved clothing and breathe new life into it, at an affordable price.

Hanger Consignments advocates for an environmentally-conscious approach to the clothing industry. What are the measures you’ve taken to this end?

When we think about taking care of the environment, we don’t always think about clothing - but extending the life of your clothes has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry. We also support and promote local wherever we can. I recently bought the most beautiful woven pendants from Tatenda Woven Baskets, a local entrepreneur in Cape Town. Aside from the fact that I absolutely love African flair, supporting local reduces the pollution associated with transport. We are also using The Drying Room to make a gorgeous dried flower wreath to go up in the shop, and another small local business called Kikki & Franki for our wall mounted name plaque. These may seem like small touches, but it’s the little things that add up to a sustainable way of living.

Talk us through the process of buying and selling through Hanger Consignments.

Once someone has contacted me with the desire to sell their pre-loved clothing, I inspect it to make sure that it is still in excellent condition. We have high standards for the items that we sell! We then photograph and advertise it on Instagram. Ladies generally then either shop in our little thrift shop in Constantia, Cape Town, or buy online over Instagram (hanger_consignments).

What are the benefits of this system?

We need to start talking more about ethical fashion. Minimising the excessive pollution created by the incessant production and transportation of clothing by highlighting the thrifting initiative is our way of making a difference. This system is also proving to be surprisingly lucrative for our clients! It never hurts to have a couple of thousand extra in your bank account at the end of the month from clothing you weren’t even wearing. And if it wasn’t financially rewarding enough, the strong community of women looking to support and empower each other certainly makes it all worth it. We are a close-knit community who are happy and willing to promote each other because, in the end, it’s less about the money and more about showing genuine care for each other’s initiatives. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely strangers who have come to try on clothing and left two hours later after a glass of wine as friends.

What’s next for Hanger Consignments?

I’m excited to share that we’ve recently opened a pop-up shop in Courtyard 53, just off Constantia Main Road. It’s really due to the huge amount of support we’ve received that we’ve grown so fast. We’re so grateful for our fellow thrifters, and tremendously excited for the future.

We are certainly excited to see more from Hanger Consignments, too! Their passion for the environment and empowering fellow women through their niche offering is inspirational. It’s a great reminder that ecofriendly living can be as simple and practical as breathing new life into that shirt that’s lying at the back of your closet.

With a 400% increase in the consumption of clothing items in the last two decades alone, it’s no wonder that we are now facing an environmental crisis. We all need to play our part to curb the craze. We can do this by buying from ethical clothing ranges, mending clothes rather than discarding them, buying locally, and demanding ethical conditions for textile factory workers. Buy less, and buy quality items from brands that are environmentally conscious from production to sale.

Remember that the everyday choices you make - including what you wear - can all add up to help bring about positive change! We recognise that as part of our overarching ambition of becoming South Africa’s leading health and wellness omnichannel retailer, we will continuously be sourcing materials and products from various suppliers, both locally and internationally.

THE WELLNESS WAREHOUSE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT

JOURNEY TO CIRCULARITY

At the same time, our sustainability ambitions are aligned to our purpose, whereby we aspire to enable individual

health journeys that have a positive impact on our society’s collective wellness, and that of our planet.

To this end, our sustainability initiatives aim to go beyond

the minimisation and mitigation of the environmental impacts of our business and move towards the

regeneration and thriveability thereof. Although we will adhere to all compliance requirements, our approach will go beyond compliance.

Our journey to meeting these ambitions is underpinned by a framework that addresses not only our entire value chain but also elements outside of it, to ensure wider positive impacts. We focus on five core themes:

*Establishing an Ethical Value Web: We commit to working with our suppliers in sourcing ethical raw materials, striving for zero waste to landfill, and where possible, sourcing from local suppliers. *Setting up a Distribution Hub: We intend to take our distribution centre off-grid, and make it the Wellness Warehouse recycling centre in our journey towards zerocarbon logistics and materials management. *Providing Circular Retail: We aim to close all loops and commit to zero (harmful) impact at our stores in terms of water, waste and carbon. *Promoting Responsible Consumption: We will drive our customer base towards making ethical and responsible purchasing decisions via our product offerings and Live Life Well Rewards programme, as well as through our instore and online communications. *Nourishing Inclusive Communities: We will play our part in the continuous upliftment of the communities around which we operate and the regeneration/replenishment of the natural environment.

We acknowledge that our move towards circularity is a journey, and that action will require bold steps and decisions that may not always take us to our intended outcome. We will continuously monitor our progress while being as innovative as possible. Most importantly, we will strive to be transparent and authentic in all that we do.

Watch this space in the next edition for more updates from the Wellness Warehouse sustainability committee!